The ByWard Market ButcherJigsaw Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThere were several broken puzzles when we went there. One of which the game master struggled with, but eventually triggered a response from after compensating for the clearly broken part of it. The other puzzle wasn't clear that it was broken, so we kept trying different variations of our solution and were unable to advance because of this. Our GM was not apologetic at all and told us "you probably wouldn't have been able to escape even if it was working". Unbelievable.
ProhibitedEscape Manor ElginEscape roomIRLAs someone who did The Parlour room at their old Byward Market location, this was extremely underwhelming. They essentially reused all the props and even some of the puzzles felt familiar. The room also includes an optional bonus objective that wasn't clear. We escaped the room with lots of time to spare and then asked about the props we hadn't used and that's when we were told about the optional side quest. It made for a very flat ending.
Cabin In The WoodsJigsaw Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThe whole experience felt somewhat disjointed. Way too many locks clustered into one area with no logic for which solution should be entered into which lock. It feels like it could have been improved greatly with a little more creative thought.
Room 057Trapped - KanataEscape roomIRLWe escaped in almost half the allotted time and spent a frustrating amount of time on one puzzle that could only be worked on by one person at a time. Like all of the rooms we've played at this location, decor was completely absent and puzzles were very underwhelming. I will not be playing the other rooms we have remaining here because of how disappointing the first three were.
Death NoteTrapped - KanataEscape roomIRLThe room was not well-lit (which didn't match the theme for where we were) and it was very underwhelming decor. Some of the mechanisms to enter solutions were very finicky, meaning that you could enter the right code but not trigger a response. The staff did not intervene until we directly asked if our code was right.
The Time Team Trilogy - Chapter 1Lockdown Ottawa Escape RoomEscape roomIRLOur team liked the novelty of this concept and it was well executed. It was just a little on the childish side when the audio/video elements were involved. It would be great for families with kids though!
The WinemakerEscape Manor ElginEscape roomIRLThe reveals were not as exciting as I would hope for in an escape room and some of the puzzles were very tedious.
